CMC – St. Lucia’s Education Minister Shawn Edward says at least seven schools in the southern town of Vieux Fort will not re-open for the third term of the academic year on Monday as scheduled to facilitate psycho-social support interventions for principals, teachers, and ancillary staff.
Vieux Fort has been the scene of a surge in deadly gun violence with the government declaring the second town an escalated crime zone giving police expanded powers to battle criminal activity.
Several people, including a nine-year-old boy, were killed during the upsurge of violence.
“Our teachers in the south are hurting and they are also grieving,” Edward said in a radio and television broadcast on Sunday night.
He said two secondary schools and a special education school would be affected by the delay and that teachers at the seven schools would report on Monday, while students will attend classes a day later.
In his broadcast, Edward explained that the ‘troubling issue’ of school security and safety were among the priority areas, adding “this is a huge concern for us at it is for parents, principals, students and teachers…rest assured the Ministry of Education is taking steps to address this issue.
“We recognise however there is need for immediate action to create a space within our schools in the south,” he said, adding that the authorities will be utilising various approaches “for a short-term intervention during the third term.
“One should expect to see a greater presence of security personnel on the ground, both police and private security…until such time as the situation improves as I expect it to given the interventions being made by Central Government,” Edward said.
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